The Vampire Diaries: Rippers, reluctant heroes, and Taylor Swift

Moderator Debra Birnbaum from TV Guide kicked things off by calling TVD the sexiest and most exciting show on TV. Unlike last year we didn’t get any significant scenes from the new season, but we did get a little tease. Interior: Salvator library. Elena walks in and is startled by Damon. She turns to find him dressed in nothing but a grin and a few bubbles from the bath. Alrighty then. It felt like a rock concert when the lights went up and the screaming and shrieking began. The volume only went up to 11 as Debra welcomed series stars Joseph Morgan, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, and Candice Accola and executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson to the stage.

Q: Mystic Falls has compiled an impressive body count. (You’re telling me. Why do you think I kept score for two seasons?) Whose death was the most surprising and whose death was the hardest and why?

A: McClone Vickie and Jenna were hands down the winners. Vickie in particular because hers was the first big death of the show. Ian added that reading the scene was heartbreaking, and seeing it and being there was even worse. Candice and Nina both mentioned missing fellow actresses Kayla Ewell and Sara Canning on a personal level. For Paul it was Rose, calling that scene emotional and beautiful. (Word). He also noted that everyone has now died several times, and he mourns his own death the most. Julie Plec said she still gets hate mail for killing Mason. Paul – “I sent you hate mail. He was hot.” Ian tried to help Joseph by prompting, “When you killed …”, and then he did actually name Jenna’s as the saddest death for him. Jeremy’s was the most surprising, “because like, again?” Nina then added Elijah’s as a surprising death. Julie thought that if you’re Elijah, you start to get embarrassed by the number of times you’ve been blind sided by the dagger.

Q: Have we seen the last of Elijah?

A: That was an emphatic no, especially from Julie Plec who readily admits that she luuuuurves Daniel Gillies.

Q: Jeremy is being haunted by two people from his past. Is that what the witches meant when they said there would be consequences to Bonnie bringing him back?

A: Yes. The beauty of Jeremy’s story for Season 3 is that they get to tell both a cool, creepy ghost story and a tough emotional romantic one. Bonnie and Jeremy will both be dealing with the supernatural and emotional consequences of her actions. Bonnie was finally able to admit her love for Jeremy, and the first thing that happens is he’s visited by the ghosts of two of his first loves.

Q: Ian – will Boone try and find Stefan or does he want Elena all to himself?

A: Damon isn’t too happy with how life as worked out to this point. For two seasons he tried to get his brother to embrace his nature and eat and destroy everything in their paths. He’s finally doing that, but with a guy that Damon hates. Damon is left behind with the girl that he loves but can’t have. Kevin called Damon the “reluctant hero.” It’s his nature to want to kill people, but he has Elena’s influence keeping him in check. His story becomes what he does with that, saying that it will probably explode in Damon’s face.

Ian – “Greeeeat.”

Imagine if the plane hadn't fallen on him (Whitney Hall)

Q: Paul – How dark are things going to get for Stefan?

A: Paul is personally excited to take on the challenge. Taking someone who is defined by his noble, heroic nature into a different place makes the character more “multi-dimensional. The whole ‘Ripper Stefan’ thing is really fascinating. We get to explore that hopefully in flashback mode and see who he was and why he is who he is.” The moderator thought that was a perfect excuse to get Joseph to say ‘ripp-AH’.

Nina – “Just never gets old.” (No kidding).

How does Kevin Williamson maintain his boyish good looks? He actually is a vampire. (Whitney Hall)

Q: Nina – who is more fun to play, Elena or Katherine?

A: She gets the best of both worlds. She can be good and bad, do flashbacks, fight, and she gets to do scenes with all the guys. “They’re both so much fun. They’re both so challenging and so awesome. They will kill me one day, because it’s a lot of hard work. I actually learned and discovered a lot about myself playing these two characters. I feel like I’ve grown up with these characters. I’m learning a lot from them and I’m learning from their mistakes.”

Q: Where is Katherine?

A: Everyone seems to hope that she’s someplace warm and tropical. At various points – mostly during “night exterior” shoots in Atlanta in February – the cast has suggested episodes set in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica …

Q: Candice: Caroline has come into her own this season and gone through an amazing transformation. How much fun has that been to play?

A: She remembered an email she wrote to Julie and Kevin, “Okay, so I get to kick the werewolf in the crotch and then attack two cops and have blood all over my face and be like ‘Hey, Mom’. It’s very cool.”

Her laughter is the sound of butterflies beging born. (Whitney Hall)

Q: Candice – What’s in store for you and Tyler?

A: Ian – “Puppies??”

Candice polled the audience and after the “woo’s” died down someone called out, “What about Matt?” (Damn right, what about Matt.)

Candice: “Matt dumped Caroline!! What are you guys talking about?? He dumped her.”

(I’m sorry, TEAM MATT!!)

Q: If you could play any other character who would it be and why?

A: Joseph wanted to be Damon, just based on the reaction he was getting from everyone in the hall. Nina, Ian, and Paul all wanted to be Klaus because he’s the biggest and baddest. Nina also called Klaus a ‘wampire’ and I’m totally yoinking that for Season 3 recaps. Paul wants to be Klaus if he can do it with a really bad accent. “He can slay you with words and with his witty charm.” Nina warned Joseph not to get too comfortable though. She and Ian were both the baddest vampires once … “You will get soft one day.” Kevin would be half Boone and half Stefan, and Julie naturally would be Elijah.

Candice – “I like being Caroline.”

(Damn right.)

It's good to be me. (Whitney Hall)

When the floor was opened to questions, several people asked variations on who will Elena end up with and who Nina wants to see Elena with. Kevin said that Elena will be pulled to Damon, but she’s not going to immediately run into his arms. There are too many things in the way to keep that from happening. “It’s more of a zig zag.” Nina side stepped the question by pointing out that she – and Elena – don’t have to choose. Katherine had it right – it’s okay to love both of them. Ian – “Sharing is caring.”

Q: How is it for the rest of the cast working with Nina when she’s switching back and forth between Katherine and Elena? Can you feel a difference?

A: This question fully confirmed my girl crush on Candice Accola. The question wasn’t clearly framed by the asker, and seemed to briefly throw off Ian and Paul. Candice immediately restated the question to confirm what was being asked and then posed the question to the panel in a very Caroline way. Later, she organized a charity bake sale and revamped the pre registration process for next year’s convention.

Ian and Paul both readily answered – “Hell yeah” – that there is a distinct difference in Nina when she’s playing the two characters. “It’s the weird little twinkle in her eye. Slightly sadistic.” Paul credited the wardrobe with helping define the characters as well. Elena is usually in a little sweatshirt and Katherine is in full leather and 4-inch stiletto heels. He doesn’t have to use his imagination that much. Candice thinks Nina has a very distinctive walk for Katherine. “She saunters. She slithers.” Somehow in Paul’s version of the walk, it became swimming through Jell-O Ian seemed to relish the idea of Katherine in a leather one-piece swimming through Jell-O Candice – “I smell an ad campaign right there.”

Q: Who would be your dream guest star?

A: There was some discussion between Paul and Ian about Fabio while Nina thought Kevin would want to cast Taylor Swift. Adding guest stars isn’t something Kevin is eager to do. He doesn’t do stunt casting and doesn’t think the show needs it. He would much rather find the right actor for a role and let them bring it to life. Although he agreed with Ian that Clint Eastwood would make a pretty cool vampire.

Whitney will be watching The Vampire Diaries when it returns to The CW on Thursday September 15 at 7:00 p.m.

And yes, I know I still haven’t finished the recap for the finale. I was locked in a tomb … An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! I’LL GET IT WRITTEN I SWEAR TO GOD!